Recently I acquired some old KGW files. I'm becoming thought of, when files are purged and I'm grateful. Found a nugget with KGW Air Personalities listed from February 1972 but I'm not sure of all the shifts they worked. From the memo and from a December 1972 DJ line-up, here is what I know and some guesses.

I don't remember a Dan Martin. I'm guessing Craig Walker took his place. Would that be correct?

This memo is fun and suggests KGW had just installed cart machines. KGW at the time was in the process of switching its daytime pattern to non-directional. I'll try and recreate the memo: ______________________________________________________________

Craig, That was a Sunday into Monday shift, so Murdock was doing the all-nighter while they did maintenance that morning. Dean Woodring was the GM. I'm not sure why Hal Widsten was copied since I believe he had transferred to KING by then.

Dan Martin did 2A-6A, commuting from Longview. When he left to open his own bicycle shop, Ed Riley became the all-nighter.

Thanks! So this memo didn't go to the entire KGW air staff? Were You there at the time? I had thought the list was a little short on names. There weren't enough jocks to fill all the shifts, that's why I fudged on the times a little. Later I thought Mike Rivers might have pulled a shift.

Steve: Thanks for posting the air check.

Author: Chrispdx
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 3:12 pm

I know Craig Walker is retired and obviously loving the lifestyle, but I think no one expected him to pull a Johnny Carson and disappear completely from Portland public life. Does anyone on here know his current situation, health, and career status, if any?

Pretty hard for a city to intimately know a guy for over 30 years and then have him fall off the planet.

Author: Billcooper
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 6:23 pm

Bruce did the weekend all-night shift (2a-10a sunday morning & midnight sun - 6am Monday). If my memory is correct Bruce moved off that shift shortly after this memo went out and Rick Miller had the shift for a brief time before I took it over. I don't remember exactly when I started, but I had the shift until I left in December of 1973 to help put KGON on the air.

Tom...didn't you start at KGW in the summer of '72 on the vacation relief shift? I think your first shift on The Big 62 was filling in for Dan Martin (I have the aircheck if you're interested!). If the date on Craig's copy of the memo is right, then I'm wrong...but I thought Hal Widsten was still there when you came onboard...I'm seeming to remember he left for KING the first part of '73.How long did you have the 6p-10p shift? During my time at KGW I remember three people having that show: Bob Scott, Tom Watson, Joe Cooper. I think Joe moved to evening when Watson left.They hired Gary Lockwood to take his 10p-2a shift. After Joe Cooper headed north to KING Alan Mason (Mike Rivers) moved Lockwood to 6p-10-p.

A relic of the full-service MOR KGW days. Before the format switch to top 40 KGW had many, many news and public affairs commitments in their license application. They also had a legacy farm show and this became important because farm shows had their own Program Type code on the FCC Program log.

To this day stations have a Program log - jocks work off the computer screen but every program has a 'source' (recorded, local, network) and a 'type' (N= news, E= entertainment, S= sports and A= agricultural).

KGW had committed to an 'A' show and so even in the top 40 format felt they had to deliver one. Paul Alexander had done a long-form farm show on KGW for years (I'll bet Craig Adams can find it in old program listings from the 60's) and he was the host of the updated version which was simply 3 or 4 2 to 3 minute voicetracks.

"Running the Farm Show" was a board op gig, basicially a song would end and you'd hit a cart with Paul's stuff. Commodity prices, AP news for farmers, State Extension press releases, grange stuff - he'd go two or three minutes then he'd say "let's warm up the coffee cup and we'll be right back." We'd play a song and back to Paul. Logged as 'A' I think they did a half hour a day 5 days a week. He'd come in and record a week's worth in one sitting with Gordy or Rick Miller.

They usually ran in the 4AM hour - on this particular Monday morning because of the late sign-on we dumped all the other News and Public Affairs shows and squeezed in the Farm Show before 6.

BTW - before being one of the better all-nighters I've heard Dan Martin had done and went back to doing radio in Longview, KLOG I think. He taught me a lot - total pro - was in the building 2 hours before show time every time. Pulled his oldies, went through the wire copy, rewrote his weathers and was 100% ready for show time. I admired his air-work and work ethic very much.....but that sort of thing was pretty common at KGW. Harper, Parker, Lockwood - lots and lots and lots of show prep and high level execution. For some reason they let me hang out and help. I think all that passion came through the speakers.

Author: John_erickson
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 7:15 pm

Which is why I come in to find Murdock pounding away at a computer at 4 AM every day, a good hour before he hits the air. First guy in the building. This is a serious-news-guy level of show prep, a work ethic that has the deep roots alluded to in the above posts. You don't get to that level by phoning in the minimum. I hope some young guys are watching.

Author: Semoochie
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 9:17 pm

This is not the Rick Miller mentioned in another thread. I believe this one is another KBPS alumnus.

Author: Craig_adams
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 9:25 pm

Bill, Bruce & John: Thanks for all the input.

Bill: I've made a copy of your post for future referral, Thanks.

Bruce: I don't have Oregonian, Radio/TV listings in the late 60's here at home to check the Farm listings. However I did check listings I do have from The Oregonian in 1963. Unfortunately it's too far back, you get a radio grid only.

Did see something interesting to note in 1963. A KGW program on Sunday morning called "Open Door" running 7:15am to 8am. This must have been an entirely different program. Research of the KGW history back in 2002, showed "Open Door" debuted on November 11, 1973.

Author: Dexter
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 10:02 pm

Coop and I have discussed this before, but it is so funny to me to hear of Alan "Mike Rivers" Mason! I'm not sure how many of you know, but Alan is currently a VP with the K-Love & Air 1 Radio Newtorks as well as consulting some of the most succesful Christian stations in the country. Like the Christian stations in Orlando and Seattle which are #1 with Women 25-54!

I met Alan a few years back and since then I have been helped tremendously by his mentorship. I am a better programmer, husband and father due to what Alan has spoken into my life.

He still speaks fondly of his time with KING Broadcasting...and sometimes tells a story about how he took all the doors off the offices in the KGW building?!?

Author: Kkb
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 10:58 pm

Dexter- Is he ever on air on KLOVE and if so, under what name?

Author: Chris_taylor
Monday, December 01, 2008 - 11:00 pm

Open Door debuted from it's talk show format to a 30 minute public affairs program geared towards youth and young adults on Oct. 4, 1970.

It's last program aired Dec 29, 1991. A total of 21 yrs and 13 weeks.

Author: Craig_adams
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 12:13 am

Chris: Open Door must have been on hiatus. I took that for the beginning date. I'll make a note of your date, thanks!

Author: Waynes_world
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 11:22 am

Does Mike still host the 20 the countdown show? I didn't know he worked for KGW! I used to listen to his show but haven't done it much lately.

Author: Scott_young
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 2:31 pm

Wayne - I think you're thinking of John Rivers who hosts 20.

Author: Waynes_world
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 3:16 pm

Sorry about that. I knew the last name was Rivers

Author: Dexter
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 - 5:28 pm

No...he was Director of Research for a bit, but never on the air.

Author: Craig_adams
Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 3:19 am

Here's another question from the KGW files. In 1972 KGW was using a Raytheon 5kw transmitter (model unknown). This was put into service in 1948 after the old transmitter (make & model unknown) was destroyed during the Vanport flood. KGW's auxiliary transmitter was a 1kw General Electric (model unknown). My question is, was the G.E. also purchased in 1948?

Author: Craig_walker
Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 3:36 pm

Since I have been mentioned, I thought I would jump in briefly. I started at KGW in September of 1972. It was highly uncommon for a shift of any kind to open up at the station. But, for some reason, the mid-day jock decided he would rather do production than an air shift. (It seems to me his name was something like Bill Blizzard, but I could be making that up). Inasmuch as the station already had a fairly talented production director named Gordie Miller, it was not Mr. Blizzard's brightest moment. He actually gave up the show rather than stay on the air. So...Al Mason called me and asked if I was interested. It took approximately a nano-second for me to answer in the affirmative. I think my first shift was on the first Monday of September of that year. I did the mid-day shift until Bruce left for Seattle...late '76 or early '77. Then, it was morning drive for 10 years until I left for K103. To ChrisPDX....I'm doing very well. Health is fine, retirement is wonderful, and I haven't given a lot of thought to getting back into it, although no one has asked. If Wall St. doesn't get it together, I may have to reconsider. Oh...I fondly remember the times when Rev. Bud was recording "Open Door" in the next room and they needed a voice, so I pitched in. Great memories.

Many a KGW on air personality would be asked to fill in for a short-handed Open Door crew on those Wednesday evenings. On one such occasion John Williams joined yours truly in the old production studio's on SW Jefferson. We asked John to be God and I would be his son. I know, I know a bit of type-casting.

John did a masterful job as the Almighty. It took nearly a year for him to realize that it was non-paying gig even though he kept up the persona for a few more years.

Luv ya JW!!

Author: Craig_adams
Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 6:46 pm

Thanks Craig. A question on the "Here Comes The Sun" spot Darktemper posted above. I remember seeing it on TV but now as I'm looking at it again, the military shot looks as if it could have been filmed at The Vancouver Barracks. Was the entire spot shot in the Portland area and later voiced by Tom Bosley? Oh and then, was that a local kid playing you at the beginning, maybe even a family member?

Author: Craig_walker
Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 9:56 pm

It seems to me that we shot the spot in the Seattle area, but we did so many of them, I'm not positive. I have no idea who the kid was or the guy on the bed singing. I think they thought he looked like me...I never saw the resemblance except for the 'stach. I remember shooting the shot with the shoe flying into the bugle. We actually shot it backwards...the shoe was in the horn with a piece of light fishing line attached. They jerked the shoe out of the bugle and then ran the film backwards for the spot. The finished product won an international award for commercials, I think. Before it was over, I jumped onto moving cars, was "struck" by lightning, and boxed with Marvelous Marvin Hagler who, at the time, was World Middleweight Champion. Good times and great memories.

Author: Craig_adams
Thursday, December 04, 2008 - 10:46 pm

Yes, these commercials were very professionally done. Network quality. If the spot was shot in the Seattle area, there's a good chance you were filming at Fort Lewis.

Craig, I am certainly not an authority on that but I used to go to the transmitter in the mid-50's when Art Bean was the transmitter engineer. He and my dad were friends for years. I remember the Raytheon transmitter there but do not recall seeing any other transmitter there at the time on the upper floor. You would go up the stairs (outside) and when you entered the building, you were in the transmitter room. The Raytheon took up pretty much the whole wall on the right. There was a "desk" in the middle of the floor with a transmitter control console, which was common of the era. The on-air studio was to the left and the record library was to the left at the back. They did most of their broadcasting from there prior to moving into the tv building when CH8 came on. Art took me around to the back of the transmitter where they kept the spare tubes and such, also. As I stated, I do not recall a second transmitter in there at the time but I could be wrong. You could see the water level from the flood where it stained the walls. It came about halfway up the wall on that upper floor.(3rd)

Author: Craig_adams
Friday, December 05, 2008 - 3:01 am

Jimbo: That's what I thought. I didn't document You or anyone else mentioning the G.E. in conversation on other threads. That leaves the question open, when did KGW acquire the G.E. transmitter?

For everyone else, transmitter purchases are hard to trackdown. Newspaper microfilm usually doesn't cover technical happenings, although in radio's early days they would more often than not.

Author: Chris_taylor
Friday, December 05, 2008 - 11:58 am

Semoochie- That was funny.

When the Host/Producer of Open Door, Pastor Bud, had his 40th wedding anniversary I asked John to put together a special pre-recorded message. In the message he kept referring to the fact he had played "God." Every time he said the name "God" he put an echo/reverb on his voice. It was hilarious and well received.

Author: Craig_walker
Friday, December 05, 2008 - 2:11 pm

Craig, If it had been Ft. Lewis, I would have known it. I did my basic training and advanced infantry training there. Not such good memories.

Author: Jimbo
Friday, December 05, 2008 - 5:41 pm

McChord Air Base is up there, also.

Author: Bob_kuhn
Friday, December 05, 2008 - 7:31 pm

Ahh...the early morning farm show on KGW...Paul Alexander was a real pro. He also produced the weekly farm page in the News-Register in McMinnville when I worked there in the early 70's. He always wrote a long-form interview story with photos and other items. I remember he had a Leica M-4 camera. I developed the film and made the prints for publication and that lens always produced outstanding images. I guess he also did similar Ag pages for other suburban papers.

Author: Semoochie
Saturday, December 06, 2008 - 1:13 am

Thank you, I'm here all week.

Author: Bryan_oneal
Tuesday, December 09, 2008 - 6:35 pm

Ahhh, the good old days... I joined 62KGW in 1977 just before Christmas. I loved doing the mix down of "Open Door". Bud would meticulously plan it, edit VO's and I got to mix it with music on the 8 track.(that was in the days of tape) Another fun thing was producing the 4th July simulcast with Craig's voice. Then, the Top 62 of 1964 thru... I can't remember co-hosting with John Williams...and of course always hanging out with my best friend Donovan (who never calls anymore)

Author: Broadway
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 12:22 pm

Bryan, Good to hear from ya...that your still alive and kickin hopefully in radio...at least reminiscing.

Author: Bryan_oneal
Thursday, December 11, 2008 - 5:02 pm

Hey, Thanks... Yep still in radio. I'm the Program Director/afternoon talent at 89.7 KSGN in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA. I'll be alive and kicking as long as that stent in my artery stays unclogged I'm looking forward to visiting Portland for Christmas.

Author: Chris_taylor
Thursday, December 11, 2008 - 8:03 pm

Well BO you owe me an email. As I recall I sent you one awhile back and you said you would email me soon. You're time is up.

But since Portland is on your radar for the holiday's you could always make an appearance at the HT studio's. Your choice bro.

Author: Craig_adams
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 5:56 am

While going threw more of the KGW Files, I came across on the reverse side of some notes taken, the "Inner Office Exchange List" as of 4/7/72. There are 187 names listed for both Radio & TV. Thought I'd list a few that come to mind but I'm sure former KGW personnel would remember a lot more. Oh and the DJ Extension number for KGW was 375 & KINK was 282. KGW-TV was 221, 222, 223, 224:

I remember a dude named (I think) Dick Wilson who hosted a once-a-week overnight(Monday morning) talk show on KGW in the '70's. I think he worked at the Lewis and Clark College bookstore and had been an Episcopal priest. The show was sort of like what Art Bell did years later, about metaphysics and unusual topics. I think he had a similar show on KLIQ earlier. Does anyone remember him and/or know what happened to him after KGW. He had a British or Scottish accent.

Author: Craig_adams
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 5:43 pm

Brad: Yes, Dick Wilson is on the list.

Author: Billcooper
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 12:24 am

Brad, Dick's talk show, which I did board op duties on for a time, ran Sunday Morning from 6a-10a. It was part of the weekend all nighter's duties to work the show. The shifts ran from 2am-10am Sunday and Midnight - 6am Monday morning. There was about three hours of music on each shift. The rest of the time was devoted to religious, and public affairs shows (like Open Door and Sideshow).

One of the scariest parts of board oping Dick's show was the 7 sec delay system. It was two reel-to-reel tape decks rack mounted vertically in the production room. We made tape loops that we threaded through the decks -- recording the program line on the top machine and playing it back on the bottom machine. We always had two or three loops ready to go. It was a given that at least one would break during almost every show!

Also...Craig...re: the "Inner Office Exchange List", its Rick Miller, not Dick Miller...and as has been said in another thread, no its not the Rick Miller who did talk radio. This Rick was a classmate of mine at Benson High School and is now living in New Mexico. FYI...the old KGW request line (224-7522) is now the number for McCormick & Schmick's in downtown Portland!

Author: Billcooper
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 12:33 am

I was re-reading some of the posts on this thread and saw Craig Walker's about how he got the mid-day shift at KGW. Craig: you're right, the guy's name was, and is, Bill Blizard. He used Gary Bennett on the air. He had been Chuck Bennett at WKNR-Deerborn (a suburb of Detroit)before coming to Portland. He was a friend of Joe Cooper's. He currently runs his own voiceover and production business in Florida.

"Craig...re: the "Inner Office Exchange List", its Rick Miller, not Dick Miller." Bill: You're right. I even thought it might be wrong but went with the listing. This was a KGW typo.

Author: Brade
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 6:36 am

Thanks!

Author: Craig_walker
Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 3:51 pm

Bill Cooper, I had forgotten the Gary Bennett air-name. I've never met the guy, but I owe him big-time. I'm glad to see that he got into production...it obviously meant a lot to him.

Author: Craig_adams
Friday, December 19, 2008 - 4:53 am

According to a document about KGW transmitter power outages from June 3, 1966, KGW was on emergency generator for 7 hours & 45 minutes during the Columbus Day Storm on October 12, 1962. KGW was also on the generator for 24 minutes on November 18, 1962.

There's also this note about another year. "The first three failures in 1964 were probably due to nearby freeway construction work (blasting and cranes) taking out one commercial service." [Power.]

Clare Hanawalt, KGW Chief Engineer also wrote this interesting tidbit about the generator to Ancil Payne on 6-2-66:

"When the generator was installed (many years ago), flooding in the area was a far greater threat than it is today. For this reason, the generator was installed on the building roof. This was done not so much to furnish power during a flood, but to keep the generator dry.

Main access to the roof (and generator) is via an inside ladder and through a small roof hatch. Fuel for the moter is gasoline, which is stored in a small drum sitting on the floor alongside the generator hut. That gasoline, which is consumed from the drum in weekly test runs, is replaced by someone having to carry gas in small containers through the building, up the ladder, and then pouring into the drum. Gasoline fumes are dispersed from the roof area by wind currents.

Jay Wright and I have discussed this situation and agree that the general hazard to both the transmitter plant and personnel brought about by this fuel situation outweighs the value of the protection the generator gives us against power failures."

Author: Don_from_salem
Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 7:24 am

According to 440 Satisfaction, Ed "Hot Rod" Riley is the same Ed Riley from that KGW memo. Apparently he is still on the air in Anchorage, Alaska. But when I knew him at Benson (Class of 1967), he was on KBPS, using his real name of Walt Larson...even though 440 Satisfaction implies it's the other way around.

Author: Craig_adams
Saturday, December 20, 2008 - 8:02 am

Yes, Ed Riley was also Tom Bond on KVAN 1480.

Author: Billcooper
Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 12:04 am

Craig Adams...Just noticed that the KGW memo you listed names from listed both Don Wright and Don Nomako. Don Wright was Don Nomako's air name!

Author: Outsider
Sunday, December 21, 2008 - 6:33 pm

And now you know....the Rest of the story.

Author: Craig_adams
Friday, January 02, 2009 - 4:13 am

Bill: Thanks for that information and I apologize for the late posting here. With the snowstorm and holidays, there's been little time. I'm just now getting back to normal (whatever that is).

I'd been thinking earlier about the KGW Inner Office Exchange List from March 7,1972 and earmarking all the names that showed a KGW Radio extension number. Then using these names to put together a KGW DJ line-up. Here are those names and shift times. I've used information posted above when names match this list:

Not exactly sure of the dates...but the 6p-10p slot between 1972 & 1974 was filled by Bob Scott (real name Randy Brown), Tom Watson, Joe Cooper (he was moved up from 10p-2a before heading to Seattle) and Gary Lockwood. FYI..Joe Cooper and Gary Lockwood did a two-man show to hand the shift off to Lockwood when Cooper left for KING in Seattle.

Author: Waynes_world
Friday, January 02, 2009 - 12:18 pm

I remember a top 620 countdown that KGW did in 1973 in which the number one song was "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis. I still have the survey somewhere. the deejays would have been: Don Wright 6-10am Craig Walker 10am-2pm Phil Harper 2-6pm Gary Lockwood 6-10pm Joe Cooper 10pm-2am Ed Riley 2-6am Rick Miller weekends at the time Craig did the sports on tv.

Author: Craig_adams
Friday, January 02, 2009 - 6:42 pm

Tom: This is great, now we're getting somewhere. I didn't know Hal Widsten was Program Director. I've yet to do a year by year look at KGW with Broadcasting Yearbooks. Hal wasn't listed with a KGW extension number. Hal's numbers were 323 & 324.

I suspected Mike Rivers might have been doing the shift (thought I remembered hearing the name on KGW) but thought the station wouldn't have him working both jobs.

This also explains what happened a few months later when Mike Rivers became PD. Phil Harper moved from midday to afternoon drive. Gary Bennett was hired for middays and stayed a few months. Then in September 1972 Craig Walker was hired for the midday shift.

Here's what I've put together thanks to Tom Parker, for March 1972. This would be the earliest complete DJ schedule for The Big 62 that I know of:

Billcooper>> Joe Cooper and Gary Lockwood did a two-man show to hand the shift off to Lockwood when Cooper left for KING in Seattle.

I remember that show but what's left of my brain tells me it was Lockwood heading off to Seattle and handing the show to Cooper. It didn't seem like very long until I was hearing both of them on KING.

Author: Billcooper
Saturday, January 03, 2009 - 7:41 am

Craig..I don't remember Mark Stevens, but Bob Bailey was a KBPS kid like me who started as a request line operator. He never progressed to getting on the air. Randy...now that I think about it, you may are correct...it was Lockwood handing off to Joe Cooper. I think I have the aircheck buried somewhere. I will try to dig it out.

Does anyone remember a Tim Freed? He was a year ahead of me at Madison. He told me he worked at KGAR and KGW mostly.

Author: Kb101engineer
Saturday, January 03, 2009 - 3:50 pm

Carl Widing was a year ahead of me in the Canby School system. I think he got a job in the same building KGW was in. He used to have a blue bass guitar. He and some friends would play "Wipeout" during lunch.

Author: Hwidsten
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 7:27 pm

As I'm mentioned in this string?....group?....list?...whatever it is called, I might be able to clear up some confusion about some KGW conversation. The "reproduced" memo above was written by Al Mason (Mike Rivers) who followed me as PD of KGW in early 1972 when I went up to Seattle to work on KING-AM. The KGW change from a two-tower full-time directional came about due to a conversation Jim Kime and I had the previous year in which I asked why a station that went on the air in 1922 was directional at all. We were doing quite well in the ratings by that time, except on the East side of Portland where the signal wasn't very good, day or night. It just seemed strange that a station with that early a sign-on would be directional. Our inquiry led us to discover the "quiet zone" established during WWII to allow the government to monitor Japanese communications. At the time KGW ownership agreed to go directional for the good of the country, and no one had thought about changing it back after the war ended.....until Jim and I became curious about it. It is too bad that it wasn't corrected sooner, as the station still had to stay with the two-tower at night due to other stations that had been established since the war.

Author: Hwidsten
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 7:46 pm

Someone mentioned that they thought KGW had just installed cart machines in 1972. Actually, the station had RCA cart machines when I arrived in the Spring of 1969. The whole place was loaded with RCA equipment, as the engineers bought the radio stuff at the same time they bought the TV stuff. It had a unique audio processing system that was built into the control boards. Remember, we're talking 1969 here when a few California based engineers were just beginning to work on audio processing. The RCA cart machines were not very dependable and due to the limitations of the RCA board, outboard slider faders were installed and the carts were replaced not long after the format change.

And, while we're discussing equipment, the Raytheon was the only transmitter operating and was located on an upper floor in the building on the Columbia river site. I never saw an auxiliary, and I believe the back-up generator was also a thing of the past. Interestingly, I also only remember one power outage at that transmitter site during the summer of 1969. It was a very dependable transmitter and the power at the site was as well. You might be interested to know that KGW and others who owned property in that area formed a "pumping district," and had to run pumps 24/7/365 to keep the site and surrounding area above water. The site was so wet that you could jump up and down near the towers and the ground would move in a ripple effect. It was a wonderful place for an AM site.

Author: Eastwood
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 7:56 pm

This is golden stuff, folks, from the guy who was not only present at the creation of the greatest station this market's ever seen...he made a whole lot of it happen. Hal, thanks for checking in. More!

Author: Chris_taylor
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 8:02 pm

The "quiet zone." That is just choice stuff.

Author: Craig_adams
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 8:12 pm

Hal Widsten: Welcome aboard!

Great insight and interesting fun stories! When did you become KGW PD in Spring 1969? (month).

When you began at KGW, can you remember what the DJ line-up looked like? I know Don Wright had arrived and was doing mornings.

Thanks!

Author: Hwidsten
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 9:48 pm

Hi Craig,

I was hired in the late Spring of 1969 by Jim Kime under the guise of Production Director while they gave the Program Director, John Catlett, the opportunity to find someting else. I officially became the Program Director in August of 1969, and we changed the format from AC to Top 40 in September. When I arrived in May, Don Wright was already there doing mornings under the name of Don Ross, Frank Hathaway was doing afternoons, and that's all I can remember of the pre-top 40 air staff. Jim and I hired everyone who you would remember from then forward, beginning with Phil Harper. The staff that began the top 40 format was Don Wright doing mornings, Dan Hathaway middays, Phil Harper Afternoons, Dan Foley 6 to 10 pm, Joe Cooper 10 pm to 2 am and Dan Martin did 2 to 6 am. Hathaway left shortly after the format change when Al Mason (Mike Rivers) was hired to do afternoons, and we moved Phil to middays.

Author: Waynes_world
Sunday, January 04, 2009 - 10:21 pm

I remember there was a talk show guy named Fenwick who I didn't like at all and I was so glad they got rid of the show.

Author: Craig_adams
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 12:05 am

Hal: Great stuff! You mentioned Don Wright was using the name Don Ross when you began. KGW ran a newspaper ad introducing him as Don Wright on October 14, 1968. So he must have changed it for some reason and then changed it back. Do you know why Don went back to using Don Wright? You first mentioned Hathaway as Frank Hathaway and then as Dan Hathaway. Which was used on the air?

Hal mentioned that the RCA cart machines were there in 1969 when he arrived. I would think they were there from the start when they moved into that building on Jefferson. I don't remember the exact date but I know it was probably 1966 or 1967. They were originally in the old location across the street from KEX and moved, with TV, to the new location in the 66/67 time because I was working at Telco when we cut and moved the network cables one morning for the changeover when they started at the Jefferson location. They were still using old RCA 76 boards at the old location and I presume they bought all new equipment for Jefferson. I believe KLC and Lakeridge HS were recipients of some of those old 76B boards. KEX had a plethora of those boards at their location on SW 5th, also.

Author: Craig_adams
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 1:31 am

Jimbo: KGW Radio might have moved later. With that in mind, it was announced in the "Behind The Mike" column on June 7, 1965 that KGW moved to the new 50,000 square foot KGW Broadcast Center. Also later on July 12, 1965 was the KGW Broadcast Center dedication.

Author: Semoochie
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 1:37 am

It seemed to me that the morning show was MOR for awhile after the switch to Top 40. If there was such a thing as AC at that time, it was a well guarded secret. Progressive MOR may have existed by then and that evolved to AC.

Author: Jimbo
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 6:14 am

Craig, it could have been 1965 now that you mention it. I started at Telco in the Spring of 1965 so that could have worked. I was there until summer of 1967 when I went to KOAP so it had to be in the 65-67 timeframe. They had to vacate the old location because I-205 was being built there. There was a fairly new building that was there also, next door, and that building was picked up and moved across the street.

Author: Jimbo
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 6:22 am

"Our inquiry led us to discover the "quiet zone" established during WWII to allow the government to monitor Japanese communications. " That monitoring station was the one out about 148th and Fremont mentioned in other posts. Although it had been shuttered after for some time prior to 1962, that was the reason KPOJ rebuilt on Mt. Scott with the same pattern arrangement they had prior to the Columbus Day storm which took down all three towers. They wanted to relocate at the bottom of the hill on Foster but they still had to protect that monitoring site. There was a drive-in theatre on the Foster Rd. site at the time.

Author: Hwidsten
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 8:06 pm

Craig,

I meant "Frank" Hathaway. He was a really good guy who got caught in the format change out of no fault of his own. He didn't like the music and felt like he would have some trouble with some of our format restrictions, but I believe he could have done quite well if he had bought into the methodology and stayed. Your two DJ lineups are correct.

Don Wright....Ross...wanted to be Don Wright, which was fine with me. He didn't think he could do the morning show we wanted, but found that he actually liked the format methodology that helped him become more organized and he sounded good doing it.

Jimbo is correct on all counts concerning the equipment and the move to 1501 SW Jefferson. The freeway was coming through and the old bulding, which I never saw but was described to me as a real dump, was razed for the highway.

When 1501 was built, it was a custom job. They had a heck of a time with the concrete awnings that were over the front windows on the second floor where KGW was located. They were poured in place with great difficulty and at great cost.

The water pools and fountains were a constant maintenance headache, and in the very beginning I didn't help that situation. While shooting the first KGW Radio TV spot for the Rose Festival Americana parade in the summer of '69 before the format change, we wiped out an underwater light and a pump.

Our crack sales force had managed to get us a couple of "Amphi-cats," which were small 6 wheeled vehicles that were steered with two handles that were floor mounted. The spot was to show Don and Frank driving this thing up the driveway, through the front doors into the lobby where they would do a 180 degree turn, and then come out the doors, drive into the closest pool and bail out. Spike Jones music and a voice-over narrative telling people to look for us in the parade was the sound track.

Everything went fine on the first take, except that when Don bailed out he caught his thumb on the amphi-cat body work and needed three stiches to close the wound. The footage with the blood was edited out. He didn't want to do any more stuff like that until we did the Harleys with side cars.....but that's another story.

Author: Magic_eye
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 8:23 pm

"While shooting the first KGW Radio TV spot for the Rose Festival Americana parade in the summer of '69 . . ."

That would be the Merrykana Parade, a predecessor of the Starlight Parade.

Author: Hwidsten
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 8:33 pm

Smoochie,

The format at KGW was dayparted to appeal to the available audience. It was "Adult top 40," and patterned after what we were doing at WLS before I left there for Portland, and it evolved through the years using elements from Bill Drake's fine stations, a good deal of local audience research, and some of our own ideas.

We tried to match the station to the market, and the time I had to get the feeling for Portland during the summer of '69 was very valuable. By the time we began in September, I had met a lot of people and participated in the city so I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of the place.

It also didn't hurt that I had worked a few years earlier for KISN's sister station KOIL in Omaha, so I had an idea of what they would and would not do to compete with us.

We wanted to win the 18-49 audience with teens as a secondary target.

Once we got it started, KGW was number one in the Portland market for almost 15 years. An AM music station beating all those FM stations. When Mike Phillips was the PD, the station actually got a 17 share in one book.

And, by the way, don't let anyone tell you that they beat KGW. KGW beat itself when a Manager who should have known better ignored years of experience and research to feed his ego. I won't mention names, but none of us who put our hearts and souls into that station will ever forgive him for that. Before he did what he did, KGW was well on its way to achieving the status of a WGN or KDKA of Portland.

Author: Semoochie
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 9:28 pm

Thank you for your response. I was only referring to a very short time that the morning show seemed to still be MOR, compared to the rest of the station. Trying to remember back, I think it was MOR titles that got my attention, as opposed to the general feel of the station. Whatever it was was gone shortly, at least by the end of the year and probably sooner.

Author: Craig_walker
Monday, January 05, 2009 - 10:09 pm

Concerning the last paragraph of Hal's last post....amen.

Author: Billcooper
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 12:11 am

Hal...speaking of the motorcycle sidecars...here's a pic from the 1972 Merrikanna Parade... http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zjfln0t1d5m&thumb=5The jocks (in order front to back) are Phil Harper, Don Wright,Bob Scott, Ed Riley and Joe Cooper. The rest of us were on a flatbed truck with a 50's greaser band drinking "milk". Actually, it was jug wine that a bunch of us put in small milk cartons we had washed out. I think we won an award of some kind after we gave some to the judges. Hal, if you remember, I think you went on the air that night for Ed Riley who crawled from the loading dock onto the elevator and then down the hall to the control room where you were waiting! Ah, the fun times back in the day!!!

Author: Craig_adams
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 1:12 am

"The footage with the blood was edited out."

Man, that's funny Hal!

A couple of things I want to make sure I have strait. So Don Ross became Don Wright in September 1969 during the format change?

Also you mentioned working at WLS & KOIL. If you've read any of my histories on this site, you know I like to list a brief station bio with a persons name. As long as we've connected here I'd like to know all the stations you worked for up to KGW.

I went looking around and found you were "Jim Hunter" on KHUB & KOIL. Did you have any titles at those stations (MD,PD,etc)? Then you became Production Director at WLS. Any other stations?

Side note: You might not be a where of this since you were not in the Rose City yet. Portland also had a Jim Hunter at KISN who later became Roger W. Morgan.

Author: Eastwood
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 3:23 am

This....

"And, by the way, don't let anyone tell you that they beat KGW. KGW beat itself when a Manager who should have known better ignored years of experience and research to feed his ego. I won't mention names, but none of us who put our hearts and souls into that station will ever forgive him for that. Before he did what he did, KGW was well on its way to achieving the status of a WGN or KDKA of Portland..."

...should be engraved on the smoking exit wound that was 620.

Author: Jeffreykopp
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 11:35 am

The location of the WWII monitoring station (the need for the "quiet zone") is given as 13005 NE Glisan:

On 26 February 1941, the FCC received funding to launch the “Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service,” the first name for FBIS. The service began its monitoring duties at 316 F Street, NE. On 1 October, FBIS opened its first bureau outside Washington—in a farmhouse at 13005 NE Glissan [sic] Street in Portland, Oregon—to monitor Japanese broadcasts.

Thanks, Bill, for putting up that picture of the Merrykana parade. There they are, folks....just a group of Radio announcer-type guys ready to spend a quiet evening in downtown Portland. If anyone has a source for pictures that might have included our "float" in that parade which was a flat-bed semi with the 50's Rock band "Louie and the Rockets" on it, I'd sure love to see it. Over the years we've done so many things at so many venues and for some reason we in Radio aren't very good at documenting what we do.

The idea for the parade float was conceived by KGW's Joan Teel, world's greatest Promotion Director. Joan is responsible for many memorable KGW events including when the station did the day on the new freeway bridge over the Willamette, the Neighbor Fairs in Delta Park, and others. She was a treasure.

To Craig, Yes that's right....Wright. If you really want all that stuff and you'll give me a direct email address, I'll send you a bio...no need to take space here.

To Craig Walker, You were great at KGW and I wish we'd had a chance to work together.

To Jeffrey Kopp, That's interesting stuff, and it all started in Portland.

Author: Craig_adams
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:16 pm

Will do, Thanks!

Author: Hwidsten
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:16 pm

While we're talking about KGW staff, I want to write about Gordon Miller.

When we began the top 40 format at KGW, we didn't have a Production Director. I was the only guy who had done any amount of tape cutting, so I was it. But as the station took off and we started to get commercials that had to get on the air, it became very difficult for me to do the things a PD should do and spend a lot of time in the production room, so we went on a nationwide hunt for a Production Director.

When I had arrived in Portland in the Spring of '69, I was amazed at the sorry state of commercial creativity and the lack of strong commercial voices in town. Everything that wasn't agency produced was either simple voice-over-music or straight voice, except for a few station promo things on the air at KISN which we had actually produced in Omaha a few years earlier. After asking around I found out that most of the agency production for Radio was being done in recording studios. The obvious question was: Where are all the creative Radio people? No offense to anyone who was there at the time, but it was bland city.

We advertised the position and got a lot of tapes, and one really stood out from a guy at WKRC..yes C...in Cincinnati. (sp) We flew Gordon Miller out for an interview and short get together with the staff, and the chemistry was immediate.

I believed that if we had a strong Production Director we could capture the recording of many local accounts, bringing the agency people into the station, creating relationships that would mean nothing but money, and Gordy Miller did all of that and more. He was a consummate professional and a great guy.

It took less then two years for Gordy Miller to work our plan and take over Portland. His voice was everywhere and his professionalism and creativity added so much to KGW's positive reputation in the broadcast community.

Gordy and I became good friends outside of the station. My wife and I spent a good deal of time with him and his family. Our friendship continued after I left KING Broadcasting, and I can't begin to tell you how difficult is was to get that phone call when they discovered he had cancer.

Good Production people can mean so much to a station. They are the heart of the station's sound, actually being on the air more time in every hour than the personalities. Gordy Miller was one of the best, and a good man. I really miss him.

Author: Craig_adams
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 8:30 pm

I remember also hearing Gordon Miller on KGW-TV not only on spots but also as an Announcer. Did you have some kind of arrangement with KGW-TV that they could use him?

Also, when you hired Gordon was he WKRC Production Director?

Author: Chris_taylor
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 9:33 pm

Hal-

Many of us who were mentored by Gordy Miller miss him too. The day he called me and told me he had put my name in for a production gig at a station in town officially ushered me into this realm. I didn't get the gig but I didn't care, Gordy's endorsement was enough.

Craig: I do remember sometime in the mid 70s, KGW TV's production staff going on strike and the radio people were filling in where they could as camera people, floor directors and in Gordy's case in the production audio booth. I remember it being a real crazy time and TV management were looking at everyone including us request line operators to help. Maybe someone has a bit more information and can recall that time.

I'm enjoying the memories of a once truly great radio station.

Author: Jeffreykopp
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 10:57 pm

Re listening stations: Hi, Hal. Google up Two Rock Ranch (west of Petaluma, CA). Built by the Army in 1942, it remained secret through the sixties.

I attended Coast Guard radioman's school there in 1974.

Author: Billcooper
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 - 11:23 pm

Hal...you are so right about Gordy Miller. A huge talent and a very good man. He mentored so many people, me included. Rick Miller and I would spend hours with him in the production room...sometimes just sitting there watching him work and picking up little things that helped us both over the years. Gordy would be in the middle of doing a spot and he would stop and without even a question from me he would take the time to explain what he was doing and why. There was a time in Portland that you could not turn on the radio or television and go for more than 5 or 10 minutes without hearing Gordy's voice. He is truly missed by everyone who knew him.

Author: Eastwood
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 3:20 am

>> "I believed that if we had a strong Production Director we could capture the recording of many local accounts, bringing the agency people into the station, creating relationships that would mean nothing but money..."

Which is precisely why the KGW production room was called "Bucks Central" by everyone there. Great concept, and a great hire. Gordy's memory is toasted to this day by a group of KGW on-air vets that still gets together occasionally (as in yesterday at Hubers)..

Author: Tomparker
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 4:55 pm

Hal, I remember that Gordy & Don were college roommates, and that (allegedly)Don nominated Gordy for the gig since it would mean you'd have to raise Don's salary.

Also, let's not forget The Night Tingler, Russ (Terry) McDonald, who held down 10P-2A prior to Joe Cooper. Phil Harper, Dan Foley and Russ McDonald were the ones who demonstrated that you could do Top 40 and still say something at the same time. What talent!!

And for those who don't know Hal, he is without a doubt one of the kindest & most gracious PDs ever!

Author: Billcooper
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 6:35 pm

Tom is so right about Hal being a kind and gracious PD...and as has been mentioned on another radio comment board...Hal fully embraced the KING Broadcasting philosophy of hiring young, inexperienced kids and introducing them to what for many of us became our lifelong passion!

Tom...thanks for bring up McDonald's name. What a talent. I don't think I ever laughed harder than when Russ (Terry) and Phil Harper did the "dirty santa" phone call bit! Had the pleasure of finally working with Terry at KGON after his return from KYA in San Francisco.

Author: Chris_taylor
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 6:37 pm

I recall the memorial gathering we had for Gordy and many of the old KGW guard was there. Don Wright took a moment and shared the story of him and Gordy being roommates. It was a gathering I think Gordy would have been proud of knowing his brothers and sisters in the industry treasured his friendship and immense talent.

And Tom spot on about Russ McDonald. He helped out with Open Door a bit and become a friend of my dads. I remember him coming over for dinner one time to meet our family. We named our dog Teri after him. Not sure that's a fitting honor but I think Terry would have been amused.

Author: Hwidsten
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 8:48 pm

I wasn't going to write anything tonight because I feel like I've been monopolizing this space this week, but I have to thank you guys for the kind words.

Just a couple of things:

Seems like I remember that Don had suggested Gordy for the Production job, and knowing Don that may have been why.

Quick Russ McDonald story:

I don't remember where we found Russ...Terry...but when I heard his tape I really thoght he sounded like Lee Baby Simms, who I had worked with in Cleveland. Lee was very successful with the late-night audience and so was Russ. When he showed up, he was driving a VW van. What we didn't know for about three months is that he was living in it. When he came to work at night he would park next to the TV mobile units at the back of the building and plug his van into the building for light, heat, refrigerator, etc. He would work his shift and then sleep out there until early in the morning, then move it out to a park, or somewhere else, and then do it again. He had this goofy looking dog...really nice dog....who he would let roam around the building at night, which was fine until that dog took a crap right in front of the TV manager's office door. That started an "investigation" the next morning and one of the custodians exposed what Russ had been doing. Kime came into my office with a serious expression on his face and closed the door, but couldn't get through the story without busting out laughing, and we laughed so hard we were crying. The office staff couldn't figure out what was going on.

Author: Tomparker
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 9:11 pm

The dog's name was Colonel.

And that's right folks, by day a KGW jock was (likely) living in a van down by the river!!

apologies to Chris Farley

Author: Craig_adams
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 10:00 pm

"I wasn't going to write anything tonight because I feel like I've been monopolizing this space this week."

Hal also E-Mailed me this and I E-Mailed him back: He is the best thing to happen to this board in awhile! Every story Hal tells makes me laugh. We try like hell to get people like Hal to post and make this place look respectable. Keep those stores coming! The Past is much brighter and I think we all LOVE to time travel!

Author: Chris_taylor
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 - 10:19 pm

I had totally forgot about that part of Terry's life. When he came out to our house he was driving that van and his dog was pretty cool.

Ah man, what a story Hal. So good to have you on this board. The neighborhood just got classed up.

KGW was an *amazing* station, and it's been fun getting the behind-the-scenes perspective of what went on. Great memories!

Author: Semoochie
Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 12:23 am

At KKEY, the boss' son was living in a trailer "down by the" towers for a few years.

Author: Craig_adams
Thursday, January 08, 2009 - 12:34 am

Hal: Another point. Mark Andrews who posted just above me (you might remember him as Bill Donovan, at crosstown KPAM-AM/FM during your KGW days) is also a regular poster here but like a lot of Portland radio personalities he's now living in another city [Phoenix]. The point being. We have Portland Pro's checking in from time to time from all over the Country, as you are.

Author: Hwidsten
Friday, January 09, 2009 - 7:25 pm

I've been sharing some KGW stories this last week, as I want to be sure that there is a record somewhere of some of the good things the ladies and gentlemen who were involved with the station did for the sound of Portland Radio, and I've tried to clear up some misconceptions about the station that have come back to me over the years. I appreciate the interest and hope that I haven't monopolized this stream of discussion, as that is not my intention.

I also want to be sure that although I have talked about some of the things I was personally involved with at the station, this was a group effort. No one person could possibly do what the KGW group did together as a team. The team evolved and changed, but the "pride of ownership" remained with each person throughout the years and remains with those of us who are still around today.

I have had the privilege of working at several stations that were "special" because of the chemistry that brought the staffs of those stations together. That special feeling was projected to the audience so they believed they shared in the ownership of those stations. I don't think the audience totally understood on a concious level why they had those feelings about those stations, but even years later they will still say that WXXX or KXXX was "my favorite station." That is a sufficient reward for those of us who produced them.

If you are in the business and have been in one of those stations, you know what I mean. If not, and the stations where you've worked you just think of as another job, I really hope you'll have the "magic" experience. You'll treasure it the rest of your life.

And for those of you who have interest in Radio, I hope there has been or will be a station in your life like those I have tried to describe. You, too will never forget it.

Author: Billcooper
Friday, January 09, 2009 - 8:13 pm

Hal, you are NOT monopolizing the discussion! You are doing your part to preserve some valuable Portland radio history.

You are absolutely correct about being part of a "magic" experience at KGW. Even as an inexperienced kid I knew I had stumbled into a rare opportunity to be part of something special. Am I right Hal that many of the things KGW did over the years, both promotions and programming, were successful because of the creative people that came together who wanted to do what no one else had done? I think they were successful because they were good ideas and management understood they needed to let up on the leash and just let it happen. And maybe no one even considered they wouldn't be successful.

Hal, I hope you keep relating stories from your time at the Big 62. It was a special time and the memory of what transpired needs to be kept alive!

Author: Hwidsten
Friday, January 09, 2009 - 8:53 pm

The tape arrived in the late summer of 1969 with a bunch of others in response to the ads in Broadcasting Magazine, The Gavin Report and a brand new magazine called Radio and Records. The guy's voice and delivery and communication was exactly what I was looking for. The letter read "please get me out of this creepy desert."

A week later I met a slightly disheveled Phil Harper at the Portland airport. He spent a day and a night, we made a deal, and thus began Phil Harper's career in Northwest Radio.

I heard about Phil's death from Bill Cooper who had sought me out to be sure I knew. Between that day in July of '69 and his death there are a legion of Phil Harper stories.

AT KGW he began doing afternoons, but when Frank Hathaway left it was clear that Phil was the guy to talk to the mid-day audience. He was somewhat upset at the change, calling himself "Music Phil" in off-the-air conversations to let us all know that he wanted more activity around him to give him instant show content.

Sometimes he'd run out into the hall outside the control room and deliver a hilarious line....too risque to be on the air...at the top of his voice to anyone who might be listening, and then run back into the control room to the sound of laughter from the Radio offices and the TV newsroom.

Before Gordy Miller's arrival, Phil and I did a lot of the production. One session that has stayed with me was the day the Pennzoil copy came in. This was one of our first National buys, and we were excited to have it. There were 12 - :60s to record, and it was late in the afternoon. We had been working late a lot, and wanted to get home. Phil grabbed the copy and went into the voicing studio, and I got out the master tape and got ready to record. He said "when I get to :50 seconds, just hold up your hand and I'll wrap it up. He proceeded to record 12 spots....all on the first take....and all exactly :60 seconds. Perfect reads.

Phil could do Mason Adams (famous voice-over guy) better than Mason Adams. The first time he did that act on some ads, an old friend of Adams' who was living in Portland called the station and wanted to talk with him.

Phil developed some on-air slap-stick comedy that included "Meanwhile back at the Ranch" jokes. For some reason I can only remember the ones that could not be used on the air, so I won't quote them here, but he did them every afternoon at 3:30 and 4:30. A couple months after the format change Phil was invited to an area high school to emcee a pep rally. He was still new enough in town so the kids really didn't know who he was until there was a pause in the proceedings and he filled it by beginning "Meanwhile back at the Ranch....." and the kids stood up and cheered. He was so surprised that he was speechless....something unusual for Phil.

Phil was highly talented with a great voice and delivery and a creative mind. He went on from Portland to Seattle where he worked at KMPS as well as KING, and did some Radio theatre on the side. He was much in demand for his voice-over abilities and eventually made a business of it so he could stop doing daily Radio. Anyone who has tried free-lancing knows how tough that can be.

Phil is remembered by some for his famous "Dirty Old Santa Claus" recording that was done one night with Russ McDonald, who by then was working at KYA...this was prior to the purchase of that station by KING Broadcasting. Russ called Phil at about 9 one night. Phil had consumed a considerable amount of wine and was feeling fine. The "interview" featuring Russ on one end and "Santa" on the other goes on for about 30 minutes, much of which is laughter as Russ tries to collect himself to ask another question of "Santa." Somehow the ABC Radio Engineering department got hold of a copy, and a few years later I heard them playing it down an unused network line to share it with comrades in other ABC stations. I have an abridged version now on CD with a lot of the laughing edited out, and it is played in our production room every year at Christmas time. It is one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

Phil and I were collegues and good friends and kindred spirits. He was the first member of the KGW airstaff I hired, and I believe I made a great choice.

Author: Semoochie
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 1:47 am

Here's the one he told while visiting my class at MHCC: "The Lone Ranger, unaware that Tonto had disguised himself as Ronald McDonald, ate his Big Mac!"

Author: Billcooper
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 10:45 am

Phil also did the hilarious "Mix and Match Quiz". One of the best was "...and the answer to yesterday's mix and match quiz...(slight pause) Tricia Nixon and the Harlem Globetrotters!"

Author: Craig_walker
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 11:56 am

Where to start... I remember Phil taking Gordy and me into the production room so he could share "Dirty Santa" with both of us. Gordy and I were on the floor. We were trying to figure out a way to use some of it on the air. If I remember correctly, we were unsuccessful. Phil was one of the most creative people I ever had the pleasure and privilege to work with. Another memory...the station sold Christmas and New Years greetings to sponsors to be used on the air during the two Holidays. They must have sold 500 of the things and they all needed to be recorded. So...Phil, Gordy, and I met in the production room one night. We sat around a table in the studio with tape rolling and with a bottle of Jack Daniels in the center of the table. We went around the table taking turns recording those things and everytime we finished one, whoever did the voice took a hit off the JD. They were a lot more fun to do as the evening wore on. I thank Hal for his kind words and I certainly echo his thoughts about being part of a creative, successful radio group like the one we had at KGW. It truly wasn't "work". We actually talked about how fortunate we were to be there and to be a member of the group. It is truly one of my best radio memories and I wish everyone in the business had an opportunity to be involved in something similar. Hal is also correct in mentioning the importance of our promotion people over the 10-15 year period when we really rocked. He mentioned Joan Teal...she is still in Portland and I talk to her every once in a while, Jackie Crist, Roxanne Miller and Diana Schmidt, Cindy Pelton and anyone else who might have slipped my memory.

Being on the air was a joy...I fear those days may be gone forever and that's a shame for air talent and listeners alike.

Author: Hwidsten
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 3:57 pm

We were fortunate at KING Broadcasting to find young people in the formative years of their careers. I am proud to have involved in getting them started. Tom Parker developed his act there, as did Andy Barber. Dan Foley was our first 6-10 night guy. Bill Cooper started out answering the request line. Many others came later, and I didn't know them all because they were brought on by Alan and Mike, who believed in the "farm team" system that we set up to start people in Spokane, help them improve their skills and promote them when openings occurred in larger company markets. It is unfortunate that no one seems to be thinking abut that today.

Author: Hwidsten
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 4:32 pm

One aspect of KGW that I haven't written about came about because of my desire to produce Public Affairs programs to which our audience would actually listen. The one I am most proud of is The Open Door. The program ran 22 years on KGW and on many other stations due to the publicity created when it won a Peabody Award for broadcast excellence.

As we prepared to change the KGW format in 1969, I was trying to minimize the potential tune-out from boring talk programs that were being played at a variety of different times on the station. One of those was a 30 minute talk segment being done by a member of the Portland Ministerial Association. It was called The Open Door. Although the clergyman involved was trying his best, the program was deadly boring. It was worse than listening to Gene Rayburn doing 5 minutes on the benefits of latex paint on Monitor. (Older readers will have to explain Monitor to younger readers)

One day a young minister, Bud Frimoth, was in the station doing a public service announcement and we got to talking about Radio and how it could reach a lot of young people who had been church goers when living at home, but had fallen away from their churches when they moved out to go to college or get a job. I told Bud that I thought a program could be done that was a mixture of contemporary music and religious message that wasn't preachy, but would be appreciated by our audience. Bud was interested.

To make a long story short, there were demos done and then Bud, his kids, their friends, members of the KGW staff, and others participated in a 22 year run that actually included Bud's National church organization assigning him to The Open Door as his primary ministry.

I may have helped a little with the engineering of a few Open Door programs. Gordy and Rick did most of them. I don't think I ever appeared on one. The idea to apply for the Peabody was from Joan Teel, who called me in Seattle one day to ask why we had never done so, and did I think it was a good idea. I thought it was a terrific idea and encouraged her to go ahead.

When the program won the award, the company was ecstatic, especially Mrs. Bullitt, whose dedication to broadcast Public Affairs programming in the Northwest has been well documented. She didn't quite understand it, but when it won, a side benefit was that she finally understood that those crazy Radio people could create something of great value. I was thrilled for Bud and his intrepid crew, one of whom decided this business was for him, and contributes regularly to this board.

The program came to an end when the Public Affairs requirements for broadcast stations were relaxed.

Author: Kq4
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 4:54 pm

Great writing and history, Hal! More, more!

Author: Chris_taylor
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - 5:57 pm

To dovetail on the Peabody award. Bud Frimoth was so new to the business that when he got the call from Joan Teal, she asked Bud, "Are you sitting down? You just won a Peabody!" Bud's response was "Great. What's that?"

Tom: You almost gave me whiplash, switching the topic from the Peabody award winning "Open Door" to Dirty Santa!

Author: Tdanner
Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 9:11 am

Yeah Tom, how dare you bring the thread back on topic? And a whole eight hours after "Dirty Santa" was first mentioned!

Author: Craig_walker
Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 9:21 am

I was going to try to make "Dirty Santa" available on this thread, but Tom beat me to it. I just listened to it again and you can't help laughing. And, it was all ad-lib. Great stuff.

Author: Tomparker
Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 10:10 am

Craig W.- the version I was provided of Dirty Santa is only 3:19 and seems to be missing Santa's assessment of Russ's place on the Naughty & Nice list. So, here's the straight line of the year: "Is yours longer than mine?" You're welcome.

And Craig A. - if you feel a need to tie the two items together, I think it should have won the "Pee Your Body" award. There.

Author: Craig_adams
Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 2:07 pm

LOL!

Author: Hwidsten
Monday, January 12, 2009 - 8:35 pm

In 1970 there were just a few ways to commute into Portland. This was especially true on the West side where, once you were on a highway, there was no way to get off of it, and few alternatives. So, knowing that, and the foggy, cloudy, rainy, generally lousy weather during large parts of the year, would anyone think about putting an airplane up to do traffic reports.

That's pretty much what Portland natives said when we wanted to add a question to a KGW Radio research project conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates.

On my way from Chicago to Portland in 1969, I took a southern detour through Denver where a good friend, Dan Tucker, had just been named Program Director of the legendary 50KW KOA. Dan and I had talked about my going to Portland, and he suggested I check out a research company that KOA was using for their TV station. My stop in Denver was a week after he had received his KOA Radio research, and we spent a whole day pouring over the results.

This was real research....in home....face to face...one person per household...demographic targets filled. The good stuff. The first of it's kind I had ever seen, because it was one of the first radio studies Frank had done. The first one was for the also legendary WQXI in Atlanta, where there was a young programmer named Ken Draper.

So, after we had KGW up and running in the new format, I mentioned Frank Magid to Jim Kime, and was surprised to find out that Frank was doing research for KGW-TV & KING-TV in Seattle. This was such a powerful tool that the studies were top secret and were kept locked in a safe.

A GOOD research study can give a Programmer the keys to hammer the competition, and the studies that were conducted for KGW Radio did just that, including some information about traffic reports done from airplanes, and what they should be called.

To make an already long story short, we bought a new Cessna 172.....got the FAA to give us 620GW on the tail....called them Sky View traffic reports, and guess what happened. Without changing another thing, KGW went up 2.5 points in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 3 overall. And now it can be told that the Portland Radio audience knew they couldn't get off the highway when there was an accident. They knew there were no alternatives. But, what they wanted to know was HOW LONG they would be stuck in traffic. If you have a KGW aircheck with a Sky View (their choice) traffic report on it, you'll hear the reporter give you an estimate of HOW LONG the problem will last.

It was just one element of KGW Programming, but good research is a powerful tool.

Author: Craig_adams
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 2:26 am

Hal: What year did Sky View traffic reports begin On KGW?

Who was the first reporter to inaugurate Sky View traffic?

Did this reporter do both morning & afternoon drive?

Thanks!

Author: Paulwalker
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 9:26 am

Hal, that is a great story. I remember my Mom & Dad saying the same thing about Portland driving when I was a kid. Something to the effect of "if you miss your exit your stuck on the freeway forever". Very interesting research, though.

Author: Hwidsten
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 7:35 pm

Craig,

I think we began in '71, and I cannot remember the name of our Traffic guy and I feel bad about it because he was a great guy and an excellent pilot. In my mind's eye I can see him in the plane on the day we took pictures. He was really excited because we sent him back to Witchita, Kansas to the Cessna plant to pick up the new plane. I hope there is someone else on this board who remembers his name.

Author: Eastwood
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 7:45 pm

Would that be Jerry Collins?

Author: Hwidsten
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 8:08 pm

Bingo! Give the man a cigar. Thanks for helping me partially recover from the dementia. That's what happens when you run your headphones too hot.

Jerry was very dedicated and would fly in almost any weather so long as he could find his way back to the field. I remember when the tornado hit Vancouver, Washington Jerry rushed to the field so he could get up in the air to report possible damage, etc. As he flew closer to Vancouver the conditions became somewhat scary. He called in to say that he thought it would be a good idea if he went back to the field since the "bumps" he was hitting were of the one-hundred foot variety. We told him to get out of there.

Author: John_erickson
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 9:02 pm

Just chiming in here..when I arrived in mid '74, Skyview'd gone away for some reason but we brought it back, making a tradeout deal with Aurora Aviation, and putting the morning newsperson in the air in the afternoon, and vice versa (I racked up a lot of dual hours that way). It seems so basic; traffic reports are the essence of immediacy, which is the key to a news and information image.

That radio station certainly made its mark in this community. Thank you, Hal--you planted the flag.

Author: Markandrews
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 9:15 pm

Amen!

Author: Stevenaganuma
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 9:22 pm

The KISN & KGW aircheck from 1972 which I posted near the top of this thread has some Jerry Collins Skyview traffic reports starting about 13:45 in. Here's the link again.

I am not a radio person (as admitted in a post on the political side of this board) but I read this series of posts tonight and was amazed at how my imagination was captured. I did not live in Portland when 620 KGW was as described.

The thread brought back the memories I had at my first full time position as a traffic engineering analyst in Toronto Canada. I was a young, eager beaver and had a great mentor. I always considered it to be the best job I ever had because of the "culture" of the company. Clearly to me, reading the posts about this famous Portland Radio station, there was a culture that was unique to that period of time with that mix of people. It is great to relive those days but alas for most of us that "culture" in the workplace has disappeared.

I am happy to say that the Portland office of the firm I work for now has much of that "culture" -- I am really enjoying my days now! I hope you all find equal happiness in your professions.

Author: Edust1958
Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - 9:37 pm

John_erikson: I don't know how to ask this question and I will apologize if I am violating the practise on this board... so I will ask it and I am sure somebody will offer correction if I need it.

Are you the respected Mr. Erikson that worked with Craig Walker on K103 and has been working with Mr. Murdock? I called you once and we talked about my profession as a transportation planner... I probably could safely talk now about the things I couldn't talk about back then.

I am hoping that if you are the John I have listened to for many years in the Portland area that, if you are interested, my e-mail address will find its way to you.

Author: John_erickson
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 1:54 pm

Sure, Edust--shoot me an e-mail at the profile address any time.

Author: Hwidsten
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 8:02 pm

Just a few odds and ends here....

KGW and KEX shared the same transmitter site during the Red and Blue Network days. If anyone has a picture of the wierd looking transmitter building at the Columbia River site, you'll notice what look like windows at the second and third floor areas with metal straps around them. That's where they put the power transformers from the old transmitters to keep them cool.

Emmett Bernards was our studio Engineer at KGW. As we got ready to change the format in '69, we had to add some outboard slider faders because their weren't enough inputs on the board to handle the six cart machines we needed. Emmett was somewhat upset by all of that, but did the install and was good at keeping things working. I think he was close to retirement at that time, but was still working when I moved to Seattle in '72. He spent a lot of time at a stock brokerage place in Portland, and Jim Kime and I were convinced that he was loaded. The accounting people asked Jim if he would ask Emmett to cash his paychecks, which he had not done in some six months, and they could not reconcile the company checking account until he did so.

The original carpet at the new building at 1501 SW Jefferson had been purchased in Okinawa, where the company owned a plywood plant. They sold a lot of plywood to the US government during the Viet Nam war, but when the war was winding down, the business dried up. Anway, the woven carpet was glued down to the concrete floors, but the Portland humidity and the amount of foot traffic loosened it up so it would bulge up in the air in some spots. Some of the bulges were a foot high. They were solving the problem by watering the bulging areas with sprinkling cans. The water would make the carpet shrink back down. Finally in '71 the stuff got so bad that Ancil Payne ordered new carpet. We, in Radio, had contributed to the carpet problem with the infamous amphicat TV spot described above.

One of the really convenient things that was in every KING Broadcasting facility was a lunchroom that was staffed, usually with two cooks, and where a person could go at lunch time or anytime between 8 am and 3 pm. The company partially subsidized the food that was served and everyday there was a different lunch selection, plus you could get a sandwich if you wanted one. We even included a lunchroom at the new KYA studios in San Francisco. It kept people in the building, and sped up lunchtime and saved money for the employees. A really good idea that I never saw in any other broadcast facility before or since.

Someone mentioned Jim Fenwick, who had been a nigh-time talk show host on KGW before we changed the format. Jim's show was the only bright spot on the station and did really well, ranking second or third at night. Jim was way ahead of his time with the style of show he did. When we changed the format he got off the air and was the first Sales Manager at the top 40 KGW. Even though we crossed swords many times when he wanted to increase the commercial load, Jim and I were friends. The spot load was not increased. We just kept selling the station out and raising the rates. In June of 1971 the avails showed that we were essentially sold out from 6 am to midnight through the end of August.

Author: Semoochie
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 8:15 pm

I heard the limit was 12 minutes per hour. Is that true?

Author: Hwidsten
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 8:45 pm

Yes. 12 minutes or 12 units, whichever came first. No more than two commercial units and a station promo in any break with 6 breaks per hour. Three different spot placement clocks that were inserted randomly. In the beginning there were no big contests or giveaways of any kind. Just pure programming.

Author: Craig_adams
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 10:45 pm

"KGW and KEX shared the same transmitter site during the Red and Blue Network days."

Hal is correct. KEX's transmitter was moved to the 3 year old KGW transmitter site in June of 1934, after being sold by the National Broadcasting Co. to KGW (The Oregonian) on August 25, 1933. KEX stayed at the site until their move to the current KEX site on April 8, 1948.

Author: Jimbo
Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 4:29 am

Craig, where was the KEX transmitter prior to the move in 1934 to the KGW site?

Author: Craig_adams
Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 2:14 pm

At the corner of Buckley Ave. & East Glisan, what is now 122nd & S.E. Glisan.

Author: Don_from_salem
Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 6:37 pm

Actually the old East Glisan is now N.E. Glisan.

Author: Craig_adams
Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 7:51 pm

You're right! A typo on my part while in a hurry for work.

Author: Jimbo
Sunday, January 18, 2009 - 12:59 am

OK, that explains my earlier posts about it several months back when I stated that KEX went from North Portland to 122nd before they went to Clackamas. I knew that some towers and the building were there in the early 50's when we would go by it. Large KEX letters were prominently on the front of the building. Evidently they were there before North Portland, not after. Evidently, the property was vacant for some time. I believe the building eventually became an office for Mt. Hood Forest Service or something like that. Thanks for clearing this up for me.

Author: Hwidsten
Friday, January 23, 2009 - 10:22 pm

I was looking through the site at some of the great research Craig has done....and it is great...about Portland Radio and I came across the Hoot Owl stuff and Mel Blanc.

In 1972, KGW celebrated it's 50th anniversary, and I was priviledged to be part of it. Not a lot was done on the air, but there was a dinner honoring some previous employees and a 30 minute television program was filmed for the event. But, my favorite part of the whole celebration was meeting Mel Blanc, who got his start in show business at KGW in the early 30s. Joan Teal had contacted Mel and he agreed to come to Portland to speak at the event.

When he arrived in the afternoon, Joan was a basket case, as she was to pick him up at the airport. She did, and this is where my memory gets a little fuzzy, I think she brought him to his hotel, where I met them and we sat in the hotel restaurant with him for an hour or so, talking about the old days in Portland Radio, and then a whole lot about his career in Hollywood as the voice of all the Warner Brothers cartoon characters.

Most people who do voices or imitations have a tendency to do them in a voice louder than they would use in normal conversation. Mel was so good at it that he could sit there talking in a rather soft voice and go from character to character....having a conversaton with himself....and if you closed your eyes you could just see the characters as Mel got lost in them.

It was a couple of hours I'll never forget.

Craig, do you have any material about that 50th anniversary? I think I still have a copy of the 16mm film we made. My copy was one of three, and it has some problems. The other two were used on the air....one as a back-up. I don't know where they are.

Author: Craig_adams
Friday, January 23, 2009 - 11:14 pm

Hal: Thanks! I don't know of anything but the Oregon Historical Society might have something. There is a picture from KGW's 50th Anniversary on the site below which features Mel & Tom McCall. Can you identify the others? Plus Mel & Rusty Nails in another picture:

Check out Craigs book about the call letters and their meanings. It also has the slogans of the stations. I bought it from Bob Galuci at Yesterday Records years ago.

Author: Mlforrester
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - 11:34 am

Hal, rest assured that the postings from you and your colleagues are absolutely as interesting to those of us who worked at other Portland radio stations as they are to former KGW staffers. They certainly are a testament to the fact that creativity builds upon itself and to the synergy a group of creative-minded people can achieve.

You mentioned Jim Fenwick and I wanted to ask if anyone knew his whereabouts if he's even still alive. I recall his name wasn't really Fenwick but I've forgotten what it really was.

Author: Waynes_world
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - 1:03 pm

I remember a deejay from KPOK named Mike Forrester. He came on after Dick Novak. I loved that station and was mad when it changed to country.

Author: Semoochie
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 - 6:46 pm

Pierson(sp). As I recall, he didn't try to hide it.

Author: Mlforrester
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - 4:40 pm

Seems like there was another person on this board who worked with Dick Novak in KPOK, A Ms. T. Danner who was Larry Wilsons asst.

Author: Craig_adams
Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 5:10 am

Sounds to me like we've got the makings of a KPOK DJ listing. Are we talking about AM or FM or both? What year & month?

Ted Rodgers worked middays. I don't remember who did mornings. I remember a Dick Klinger. maybe it was him.

Author: Ourproductionguy
Monday, February 02, 2009 - 8:18 pm

This is by far the most interesting thread I've read in years. I also have a reel to reel copy of "Dirty Santa" with Teeny Tiny Phil Harper and Russ McDonald. I'll check for sure to see if I have "the long version". Since I'm reading three months of threads tonite, I will just chime in about Gordy Miller. I would go to KGW about once a week to record Oregon Magazine spots with Gordy. By far, they were the most informative recording sessions, WAY better than going to Spectrum Studios. Gordy would give his insight into how to read the spot, and of course, they came out much better than we could have done on our own. I also would go to KGW to record something every week for some kind of spot with Bob Griggs, who was better known as "Bumpity" on KATU TV. Between Gordy and Bob, their input and creative criticism was nothing short of fantastic. I also remember a party that Tom Michaels had at his house in West Linn, where he invited all the guys that did voice work on a consistent basis. Tom, Gordy, Ryan Wiley,and if I remember correctly, Bill Stevens and Michelle Marianna were there. It got rather loud, and the Sheriffs office was called to "tone down" the party held outside on the deck. Gordy was well into the Jack Daniels and would start doing a routine about "Franz Bread...the GOOD bread...flavor beyond compare". I wish I would have known then that I was in the presence of a true radio legend. I have another Phil Harper "meanwhile back at the ranch" quote. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tonto, not realizing the Lone Ranger had disguised himself as the Amazon Jungle...cut off his under growth" Thank you Hal, Craig Walker and others for the real history of this legendary radio station. Radio the way it was, will never be again.